Amy Koch, center, stands in the governor's office reception area with with former Senate Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel, left, and Michael Brodkorb, right, in June 2011. (Pioneer Press)

The state's legal bills have reached nearly $200,000 fighting a lawsuit from a former Republican aide against the Minnesota Senate for gender discrimination.

Michael Brodkorb, the GOP's former chief spokesman, was fired almost a year ago after his affair with then-Majority Leader Amy Koch became public. He has since sued, claiming he was treated differently than female staffers who had affairs with male legislators.

The latest invoice from Larkin, Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, a private firm hired to represent the Senate, was obtained on Tuesday, Dec. 11, by the Pioneer Press. It shows about $90,000 in expenses incurred from August through the end of October.

The bill is scheduled to go before the Senate Rules Committee on Thursday to be approved, one of the last such hearings before Democrats take control on Jan. 8. Most of the charges cover research, legal document preparation and conference calls with attorneys and defendants.

Incoming Senate Minority Leader David Hann said Republicans still maintains Brodkorb's lawsuit is "frivolous and without merit."

"We're not interested in settling," Hann said of what might happen in the coming weeks. "We're interested in protecting the integrity of the Senate and protecting taxpayers. Settling would serve none of those purposes."

Senate Majority Leader designate Tom Bakk said he doesn't know yet how the new DFL majority will proceed with the case.

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Bakk said he hasn't talked to the Senate's attorney since June about the details, so he isn't sure if it makes more financial sense to settle or continue fighting in court.

"I'm going to need to sit down with the attorney to see where it's at, what kind of future costs we can expect," Bakk said. "At $330 an hour, those legal costs become real money in a hurry."

Brodkorb, who also names the state of Minnesota and Secretary of the Senate Cal Ludeman, filed the lawsuit July 23. He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. State law caps settlements with public employees at $1.5 million.

The case has been a thorny issue for Republicans.

Just weeks before the election, Brodkorb broke his silence saying his firing and Koch's resignation from her leadership role were ultimately a "power grab" from a group of senators, and they used the affair to do so. He also said that GOP leaders put the marriage amendment on the ballot this fall to drive social conservatives to the polls -- not to protect family values. GOP leaders denied the accusations.

The ballot measure, which defined marriage between a man and a woman in the state constitution, failed this November and Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate.